THEATRE ROYAL.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17418, 31 March 1922, Page 10

THEATRE ROYAL.

"WAY DOWN EAST." D. W. Griffith has a reputation Becond to none na a motion picture- producer. He fully justifies the great nan* he h«s by Jus latest production, "Way Down Em* " winch ia being ecreened at the The&tie Eojil this week. The master mind of Griffith ha. taken 'a simple story of pki n pco p te .. . made a, mighty epic of it. Tho story on which "Way Down Ewt" i, baaed concerns the betrayal of an Ullage belle in.x> u. mock marriage. AsLbs Wne o ho story Lilian Gish daw, W bngnt artistry in iier interpretation of tho ro.ea sho is called upon to fill A* tin Unsophisticated country maiden who ia «nrf. denly confronted with all tho splendour th»t wealth can buy, her acting is perfect. Tho truest art lies iu concealing art, and Lilian Oish fully appreciate this fact. There i« ft spontaneity and reality in all her M tinir which lifts it far above the usubl level. The main characters have oil been selected with consummate ability, and there u no erudeness in any detail. The quaint ways of the New England villagers hava been cleverly exploited to afford the necessity humorous relief to the picture. Plolemt country ecenes and farmhouse festivities u« a feature of the production. The big thrill of the picture is truly a ssneatipml ece, Healism has been carried iar in motion pictures, but it can .go no further thtA ia this Bcene. where tho heroine is carried to tlio very blink of a waterfall, and death seems imminent. The hero's attempt at resouo amidst the swirling of the ioe torrenl is splendidly produced, juid tho whole eoen® represents the high water mark of motion picture production. A special feature of tho presentation of the big picturo ia tho musical programma played by a lino orchestra, conducted by Miab Nellie Black. The musical ecore has been fitted exactly to the varying moods of tho picture, and it is one evidence of the present trend in the direction of writing special music for pictures. The orchestra's work is of a very high standard indoed, and adds greatly to the success of "Way Down Cbst." Both in the picture itself and in the music no effort has boon spared to make the production the great success which it undoubtedly is. "Way Down East'' will be repeated thia evening, and following evenings, with matinees on Saturdays and Wednesdays.